ENLithuania was the first of the former Soviet Union republics to officially apply for EU membership in December 1995. Negotiations on the terms of membership started in early 2000, after the Commission’s decision to begin the accession process for several Eastern and Central European candidate states was announced at the EU Helsinki Summit (December 1999). Since the late 1990s, the accession process has had an important impact on shaping the state building efforts and policies of Lithuania. [...].